Originally built in 1940 for the Work Projects Administration program, a relief measure during the Great Depression, Malakoff Elementary School’s Old Rock Building was for a long time the only building serving the school district. And as the community grew and the district expanded, the Old Rock Building continued to serve the district for an impressive 66 years. As old things were replaced with new, the Old Rock Building remained. Its unique red rock façade became a cherished community reminder of a simpler time – a time, it turns out, the Malakoff community was not ready to let go.

Texas State Technical College is a co-educational, 2-year institution of higher education offering courses of study in technical-vocational education. With limited funds and no money to buy land or new facilities, TSTC West Texas needed to address a growing student population and demand for Career and Technology fields like health care, mechanical and HVAC at its Brownwood and Breckenridge campuses. TSTC turned to Huckabee to repurpose buildings they already owned to create additional program space for both campuses while taking advantage of existing assets. 

TSTC Brownwood repurposed an abandoned 1950’s Montgomery Ward building and TSTC Breckenridge repurposed an abandoned grocery store that was donated to TSTC. The renovation of these two buildings is a perfect example of how repurposing a building can be the solution for educational facilities. 

        How can an outdated, World War I-era school, deteriorating from the inside out, be transformed into an innovative, state-of-the-art facility that still honors its historical significance? Waxahachie ISD answered that question by calling Huckabee.
        Waxahachie High School, built in 1917, was falling apart in 2006. But no one wanted to see this landmark torn down. Huckabee stepped up with a plan to save the building—and make it better than before.
        We started by researching the historical architecture of the building. We uncovered the last remaining original window, and peeked past layers of old paint to find the original color. The windows were matched using new, thermally broken, low-e, high-energy efficiency glass. The hardwood floors were restored to their original beauty. We refurbished the exposed ceilings, as well as replaced doors and lighting fixtures with historically accurate materials.